Reactions Page 1 sur 8 HYDROCARBON Log off or Change user (SARA DAVIS) PROCESSING? ‘Subscribe to HP magazinel [___ BiSearch] Advanced search il Reader service request HPInformer: the new blog from Hydrocarbon Processing August 2000 Eull contents Easy way to estimate realistic control valve pressure drops Use this method to ensure proper operation and minimize operating costs F.C. Yu, Jacobs Engineering Group, inc., Houston, Texas Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing,com ‘When designing a new plant or revamping an existing one, a key task is to estimate or calculate pressure drop allowed for each control valve. For a control valve that has a pump or compressor Upstream, there are three methods to do this. The traditional method is to allow 50% to 25% of the system frictional pressure drop (other then control valve pressure drop) as the control vaive pressure drop. The second methad is to calculate the allowed control valve pressure per an ‘equation proposed by Connell. The third technique is to assign a minimum pressure drop to the control vaive at maximum design flowrate. This article studies three typical systems that require calculating control valve pressure drop. It also studies the above-mentioned three control valve pressure drop estimation methods for & system with a pump or compressor. ‘System under study. The three typical piping systems with control valves are shown in Fig. 1 For simplicity, only one control valve in the system is considered. A system with more than one control valve is discussed later. ‘Type 1 system — for vapor or liquid foo ma oom ‘Type 2 system for liquid =e ‘Type 3 system - for vapor = Compressor Fig. 4. These three different piping systems with control vaives will be analyzed. ‘The type 1 system starts from equipment such as a vessel, which will not generate differential pressure, and ends at another piece of equipment. Between the equipment are piping, one contro! http://svww.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/default.asp?Page 148 S&PUB=22&1SS=... 01/09/2008Reactions Page 2 sur 8 valve and additional equipment andor an instrument upstream or downstream of the control valve. Fluid in the system is either vapor or liquid, ‘The type 2 system is for liquids. It starts with pressure-generating equipment such as a pump and ‘ends with another piece of equipment. Between the equipment are piping, one control valve and additional equipment and/or an instrument upstream or downstream of the control valve. ‘The type 3 system Is for vapor. It starts with pressure-generating equipment such as a ‘compressor and ends with another piece of equipment. Between the equipment are piping, one ‘control valve and additional equipment andior an instrument upstream or downstream of the ‘control vaive. Equipment items upstream or downstream of the control valve are usually heat exchangers, fiters, ‘tc., and the instruments upstream or downstream of the control valve are usually orifice plates, flow meters, etc, The control valve can be globe, ball, butterfly or any other type, but not an on-off valve. Assumption and basis. Assumptions: Pressure drop through the line, equipment and instrument are proportional to the square of the flowrate. Basis of good control valve performance: A control valve is able to do its job ifits opening is between 20% to 80%. A 20% valve opening is the lower limit and 80% valve opening is the upper limit. (See item 1 under "discussion" for this valve opening range.) Outside this opening range, itis assumed that the control valve has difficulty carrying out its intended functon. Control valve pressure drop estimation, This section studies control valve pressure drop estimation. First, some terminology is explained. Let Ps be the system starting pressure and Pe the end pressure. For the type 1 system, Ps and Po are fixed. For the type 2 system, Ps is the pump discharge pressure and for the type 3 system, is the compressor discharge pressure. For type 2 and 3 systems, Pe is also fixed, but Ps is, calculated. Let F be the total frictional pressure drop in the system excluding the control valve pressure drop, DPev, at any flowrate. Therefore, it consists of total pressure drop through the line, DP/, and total equipment and/or instrument pressure drop upstream and/or downstream of the control valve, DPe. Let F, be the F at maximum design flowrate, and Q,, and F,, be the F at normal flowrate. ‘Therefore: Ps- Pe =F + DPh + DPev (1) where F = DPe + DPI, and DPhis the static head difference between system starting and end Points. OPh for type 1 and 3 vapor systems is negligible. ‘Therefore, for a type 1 system, Ps, Pe and DPh are fixed values. F varies with flowrate, and DPcv is calculated using the following equation at different flowrates. OPev= (Ps- Pe) -F-DPh (2) For type 2 and 3 systems, Pe and DPh are fixed values. F varies with flowrate, and DPov is calculated by one of the following three methods using Eqs. 4, § or 6, Pump or compressor discharge pressure is calculated using the following equation: Ps = Pe+F+DPh+ DPov 3) The relationships between Ps, Pe, DPh, F and DPev for the three types of systems are shown in htip://svww hydrocarbonprocessing.com/default.asp?Page=14&S-S&PUB=228S 01/09/2008Reactions Page 3 sur 8 Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. Frowrete % Fig. 2 Type 1 system for liquid. Fig. 4. Type 2 system for liquid. http://www. hydrocarbonprocessing.com/default.asp?Page=14&8=S&PUB=228ISS=... 01/09/2008